Meet Chef Leroy Hodge

He can teach your children and even design and build your dream home, but he is best known as the creative genius that tantalizes your taste buds at the island’s best kept secret. Who are we talking about? Chef Leroy of the Bay House Restaurant at the Trade Winds Hotel always had the love and passion for food and cooking but never considered it as a career choice.

His first love was teaching and he was known to assist teachers and even taught his peers when given the opportunity. He then transitioned in architecture and when he left school worked with an architecture firm until the death of his boss.

His road to head chef at the Bay House Restaurant is humbling as any other starting as a dishwasher four nights a week in a restaurant and going to culinary school during the day and he has never looked back. The transition was easy because he had always enjoyed cooking and simply because he loves to eat and is quick to admit his favourite is pork. Although pork is his favourite he loves preparing and working with seafood and will experiment and create new dishes with seafood as the base.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

Once a pregnant guest was craving lobster and mangoes she apparently had a dish like that some time ago. With no mangoes in the pantry he went in search of mangoes and drove around the neighbouring village until he found a tree picking the last two mangoes. He prepared for the guest Lobster Medallion with basil and mango dressing. The guest showered him with praises and left him a $50 tip and later sent him a photo of the baby. He revealed that he cried when he received the photo.

Cooking a full vegan menu for the Israelite Committee and seeing how they enjoyed each course with requests for seconds. He said it was a proud moment to be trusted with such a task as well as to show his range of culinary talents.

The menu at the Bay House Restaurant can be described as International with Caribbean influences. The restaurant is open daily from 7am – 11pm with an ALL DAY BREAKFAST option. A carvery menu has been recently introduced on Sundays. Call us today to make your reservation (268) 462-1223, or click here to browse our menu online.

Here’s a recipe from our new menu: CREAM SPINACH & PLANTAIN TARTS

TART SHELLS: Ingredients

9oz / 2 ¼ Cups all purpose flour,

Pinch of salt,

5oz / 2/3 Cups unsalted butter, chilled and diced,

1 # Egg Yolk, About 3 Tbsp cold water

METHOD:

Mix the flour and salt, rub in the butter by hand until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the egg York and enough cold water to form dough. Knead the dough gently, then cut it in half and rest for one (1) hour in the fridge for later use.

Once ready to used remove from the fridge cut into four equal pieces and roll out thinly. Used the pastry rounds to line four individual tart tins, letting the excess pastry hang over the edges. Chilled for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350degrease F .Line the pastry with baking paper and dry beans or rice. Bake blind for 10 minutes.

Remove the paper with beans or rice and return to the oven for 5 minutes until golden ,allowing the pastry to cool then carefully trim off the excess pastry with sharp knife

FILLING FOR TART: Ingredients

4 Tbsp vegetable oil,

2 Tbsp Onions dice finely,

10 oz very ripe plantains diced,

10 oz chopped frozen spinach (thawed and squeezed dry),

½ Cup heavy cream,

1 Tsp Cinnamon powder,

Salt and black pepper to taste,

1 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (parsley, mint and thyme),

½ Cup Shredded yellow cheddar cheese

METHOD:

Heat frying pan with oil, add onions, spinach and cook for 2 minutes with some salt and pepper.

Add plantain with heavy cream ,cinnamon powder and cook until cream reduce .Adjust the seasoning ,add herbs and mix until well combined

Spoon filling into tart shell and top with cheddar cheese .Place into pre-heated oven and cook at 350 for 5minutes or until top is golden brown.